She may have vowed to hang up her dipping shoes, but charity champ Julie Reay couldn’t resist taking the plunge again this year.

Last December, after 10 years of taking part, Barnes mum Julie announced she’d no longer be taking part in the annual Boxing Day Dip in Seaburn, with her Footprints in the Sand team.

However, after being inspired by winning a regional award at this year’s Pride of Britain awards, Julie and her dippers are back.

Julie, who raises money through the Peter David Lane Trust Fund she set up in memory of her son, who died when he was 13, said: “After such an eventful year with our fundraising and supporting so many different charities, I have decided to dip again.

“It was when I was in London at the Pride of Britain event, that I had the change of heart.

“They had obviously done some research and so many people spoke to us about doing the dip.

“I was looking at pictures of my amazing team of brave dippers and how it’s always my biggest fundraising event on the calendar and I realised I just have to do it again. It’s always been Peter’s day and, in all honesty, it’s always helped get us through Christmas.”

The 50-strong team will run into the North Sea on Boxing Day with T-shirts provided by Total Sports.

Money raised by the team will be donated to 4Louis, a Sunderland-based charity which helps parents across the country who have undergone the trauma of stillbirth or neonatal death.

The money will go towards the £1,500 needed to pay for cuddle cots, which give parents the opportunity to spend some precious time with their late children.